Cascadian Schwarzbier | Jack's Abby Brewing

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Reviews by Mikeypnh:

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Pours black but with hues deep within the beer that can attest to it's clarity. I was able to take one photo showing a ruby ring around the bottom of the glass and as I drained my first glass I can also notice subtle shades of brown. The ruby that I observed was like a gem that you might find deep in the earth covered by blackness and brown earth but shining nonetheless. It has a creamy tan colored head of foam that fell slowly and deliberately and left rings. After it was completely subdued by time it left rings of sticky lace and a cluster of bubbles and film on top.

Nose is lovely roasted malt. It verges on nutty but then gives way to bitter chocolate. The hops grace the nose with a faint presence and a sweet breath of orange. A touch of coffee. It's smells deep and abundant. The taste follows the nose all the way and the beer has such graceful hop accents. The orange never intrudes or steals center stage away from the malty character. Smooth dry , crisp blackened malt that is not burnt. The carbonation is ample and keeps it drinking like a lager. A very light bit of caramel and this one finishes with a bit of that bitter chocolate to linger and dry out slowly as the light sweet orange echoes itself from the nose only faintly. There is a bitterness form both the roasted malt and from a bit of hops in the finish.

This one has a subtle devil may care attitude but respects the style completely. Wonderful!

Thanks to Jeff for splitting the bottle. Jack's Abby - leading the lager revolution. I'm trying to remember the last schwarzbier I've had... Can't think of it, so it has definitely been a while. This one pours with a black-hole black body with only the darkest of rubies shining at the edges. A foamy, beige head settles and fizzles to a collar pretty quickly, leaving some chunky lacing behind.

Full of pungent, piney hops up front, almost like something you'd expect from one of these new-fangled "black IPAs", because there's a big, roasty backbone hidden underneath the hops. So, yeah, lots of hoppy and malty aromas clashing; spicy, ashy, herbal, roasty, with a touch of finishing black pepper.

Not exactly sure what a schwarzbier is supposed to be, but looking at the dry-hop bill (Magnum, Cascade, Columbus, Centennial, and Cluster), this is appearing more and more like a "black IPL", if I may be so bold. Dark malts, plenty o' hops, only with lagering yeast. Would like to see a little more malt balance, but the spicy hops are pretty nice.

The taste is almost exactly as I expected it to be, which I guess is a good quality for a beer to exhibit. Brash, piney hops with a commanding bitterness couples with a heavily roasted malt bill, with also brings a bit of bitterness to the table. There's a very mild citric character from the hops, too, just a touch of grapefruit peels and citrus pith.

Light cocoa powder in the finish, along with a dry, sharpness. I swear I can finally taste some lager yeast in the finish; bready and full - it looks like the lagering wasn't for naught! Hops are definitely the most assaulting thing here, followed by the black malts, but the lager yeast somehow does surface among the ruckus. Thin-medium bodied, heavily carbonated with a sharp mouth feel.

Pretty good beer in a relatively unexplored style for me. From the taste alone, it reminds me of the lager version of a "black IPA" when you take a porter malt bill and mate it with an IPA hop bill, only in this case, using bottom-fermenting yeast and a cold fermentation. I wish I had more of the style to compare to, but it's pretty good nonetheless, if roasty and piney are your thing.

The CS poured frothily from the .5 liter bottle, piling the tan head way over the top of my pilsner glass. Color is a deep rich brown and the aroma is primarily dark malts. with a hint of hops. This is an extrememly tasty beer, just fine for a cool spring day. Although the significant hopping does not intrude on the overall balance, this beer could use a little more "middle". This is obviously amped up from the traditional style but still in the family. I wonder what the draft version is like?? This one was kindly laid on me by Jamie Magee during a visit to Iron Hill Lancaster.

Mouthfeel: medium light bodied, high carbonation, sweetish start that becomes bitter but never overly so

Overall: Super drinkable nice and dry. I think this drinks a bit more like a black IPA than a schwarzbier. One of the better newer beers from Massachusetts. Also the price cannot be beat. I will get this again.

A: Pours a clear dark brownish red appearing black in the glass. A dense slightly tanned head sits on top of this brew. Good head retention as it takes a couple minutes for the head to dissipate. Leaves great lacing on the sides of the glass.

S: Initial aroma of roasted malts and hops. The roasted malts come across as carmely and chocolaty. The hops add some pine and spiciness to the mix. A nice earthiness to this one that reminds me of the inside of a brewery.

T: A lot more hop bitterness comes through in the flavor than anticipated. There is still a solid roasty malt backbone that adds chocolaty notes, but an ample hop addition as well. Mild citrus from the hops. Alcohol is well hidden.

M: Real smooth and creamy mouthfeel makes this one a pleasure to sip on. Moderate carbonation and a mostly clean finish. Just a touch of stickiness from the resinous hops.

Overall I've always been a Schwarzbier fan and this one it top of its class. Mouthfeel of a stout with the hop bitterness of an IPA.

The appearance has a black/almost brown body that’s a bit lighter around the edges and bottom of the pilsener, three finger white foamy head lasts for about three minutes and slowly dies as it sips. The smell has roasted malt, slightly pine/resinous, citrus perhaps (really faint), but gets more piney/resinous as it warms. The taste is dry and bitter through the previously mentioned flavors. The palate is about a light to medium, ABV is not felt leading to a decent session, comes through fairly smooth, dry bitter aftertaste and finish. Overall, I would say this is good for its style and I would have another.